


Electricity Keeps On Hitting Me

by alienharry



Series: 5 Weeks of Shiall [2]
Category: One Direction (Band), Shawn Mendes (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dirty Talk, M/M, Mutual Pining, Power Play, Sexual Tension, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-27 18:06:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16224473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienharry/pseuds/alienharry
Summary: Louis falls miserably onto his back, lying next to Shawn on the carpeted floor. “I can’t believe he got struck by lightning before the rest of us. He’s the baby of the group.”“Trust me,” Shawn says, a bite to his words as the pounding in his head gets louder the closer Niall gets to him. “I would’ve rather it’d been you. I feel weird.” In the distance, he hears a muffled,“Christ, get yourself together, man.”And then the front door is shutting.“If Niall gets struck too,” Louis threatens. “I’m leaving the group.”-Shawn gets struck by lightning and finds himself with telepathy. Things get more than a bit complicated when Niall’s thoughts tell him something they shouldn’t.





	Electricity Keeps On Hitting Me

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from _Lightning_ by Little Mix
> 
> I'd of course like to thank my amazing beta [Ella](http://spnife.tumblr.com) for putting up with every fic I write, regardless of the ship.

After graduating college in Canada and having to face the world on his own already, moving to London seemed like a perfectly reasonable next step for Shawn to take. He’d have to start anew, and doing so in such an unfamiliar place, while terrifying as hell, was too good a chance to pass up on. 

For about a year and a half he worked to find a nice job and move out of the youth hostel he’d been staying in and into his own flat. It wasn’t easy, and doing it alone only seemed to throw him more obstacles, but now he was a self-made man of sorts, living in the big city, working a nine to five, and finding time for his friends and himself. 

Shawn met Liam at work. Liam had offered an invitation to come over and watch movies with some friends after work, and Shawn said yes. He’d suddenly found himself with four new friends, each one both more annoying and friendlier than the last. They’d begun a rhythm of meeting up every Friday night together to watch movies at Liam's, and he hasn't had a lonely weekend since.

The best part  — even better than the job, the house, the friends, or the healthy weekly schedule  — was  _ Niall _ . They’d hit it off the hardest of the five, and have been extremely close, both having the same taste in music and movies. And if there were anything Shawn didn’t have a taste for, Niall could convince him to see the positives just from the sound of his voice alone. 

It’s been a short year since he’s made these friends, yet everyday that passes is another twenty-four hours that Shawn’s falling in love with Niall. He’s been invested in the other lad for far too long, absolutely smitten from the word go. It’d be nice if he could do something about it, confess his feelings and get a relationship out of it, but he can’t find the confidence to do anything.

So he sits in miserable silence, only wishing he had the nerve to make a move. 

ϟϟϟ

It’s a typical Friday night in October, a few weeks away from Halloween, not quite close enough for creepy creatures and bumps in the night, and Shawn’s enjoying a movie at Liam’s house surrounded by his best mates -

Or really, he’s  _ tolerating _ the movie. It’s not like he can truly enjoy it when Harry and Louis are reenacting the cheesy lines and whispering to each other the entire time. 

Shawn’s sitting on the couch next to Niall  — his usual seat  — which is truthfully the only thing getting him through the night. It’s Harry’s turn to choose the movie, and just like every other time he’s had the honor, everybody else gets to suffer because he always picks the same flick to watch. 

Outside it’s storming, the rain falling harshly against the windows, the thunder shaking the side of the house. Though moving here was a bit of a culture change for Shawn, the storms have made him feel right at home. The wind is whistling loudly and light flashes just behind the curtains far too bright. It’s a bad one out there, but it’s nothing that they can’t handle, sitting here tolerating their film. 

It’s not until they’re halfway through their movie, the time dragging by slower than it ever has before, when thunder cracks above them and electricity cuts out throughout the house. Shawn’s not afraid to admit he jumped a bit, but it’s nothing compared to the scream Liam lets out. 

Niall’s hand falls harshly on Shawn’s knee and he lets out a chuckle at his own cautiousness. 

“Is this your way of kicking us out Payno?” Louis asks after the silence has run its course. “‘ve got to say, it’s better than last week’s ‘crippling constipation.’”

“Fuck off.” Liam reaches over to shove Louis’ shoulder and begins to stretch. “Niall made all that cheese dip.” 

Niall scoffs at the accusation and picks his hand up from Shawn’s leg. “Nobody told you to eat it all.”

“Nobody told me not to either.” Liam’s eyes narrow. “Did they, Niall?”

“Should’ve been common sense, mate.”

Liam goes to respond but Harry clears his throat. They all look towards where he’s sitting, leaning against Louis’ shoulder. “So, are we just going to sit in the darkness then? I’m alright with this, but I feel like it may not be everybody’s first choice.”

They continue to sit, the silence blanketing over them. Shawn knows they’re all trying to think of something they can do, someplace they can go. Louis and Harry are probably trying to come up with ridiculous games to play, and Liam’s most likely wondering if he has any lanterns lying around from when he went camping a few months prior with his boyfriend. 

Niall though  — Shawn can never tell what’s going on in his mind. The others feel predictable. They’re very open with their thoughts, their agendas shining in their personalities  — no secrets kept amongst them. Niall’s not so much an open book. He’s always got a dark glint to his eye  — often aimed at Shawn  — and while he can go on and on about his passions, moments like this where they’re left to their own devices, Niall’s a mystery. 

Shawn’s had his fair share of electric outages. Winters in Toronto can get extraordinarily bad, and he’s basically a professional with storm relief. “We can keep watching, the fuse box probably just needs to be reset.” 

“Sounds good.” Niall’s hand falls on Shawn’s leg again  — his upper thigh this time. “Payno, why don’t you get to it?”

Shawn’s not a prude, he isn’t. He’s just a bit out of practice, and Niall’s hand is huge. It covers a good portion of his thigh, and if he were to spread his fingers a bit more, he’d be touching Shawn’s dick. The thought alone takes most of Shawn’s attention. 

“No way.” Liam refuses, arms crossing as if to further solidify his standing. “The fuse box is outside, and there’s no way I’m going out there.” 

“Well if Liam won’t do it, I won’t do it either.” Harry crosses his arms as well, going as far as to look at Liam’s frown and try to copy it. “It’s not  _ my _ house.”

Louis laughs, sitting up straighter in his heat. “There’s only one way to solve this, lads.” He pauses for dramatic effect as everyone except Shawn looks at him. The youngest is too occupied trying not to overreact at the feeling of his crush’s hand so close to his groin. “Nose goes!”

They all rush to move at that point, Louis’ finger the first to touch his nose. It’s not until Niall’s hand is lifted from Shawn’s thigh that he realizes he hasn’t been listening to the conversation. 

He sees everybody watching him smugly, fingers all touching their noses, and realizes he’s just lost something. “Wait, what am I doing?”

“The fuse box is on the side of the house,” Liam instruct. “You turn left when you go out the door.” 

“And  _ I _ have to do it?” 

Louis laughs, a cruel, victorious sort of thing that says he didn’t care who got stuck with the job so long as it wasn’t him. “‘s how nose goes works, mate,” he says. “Now be a lad and fix this mess. I need to know how the movie ends.” 

“Jack dies, Louis,” Niall says, and despite the fact that they’ve seen  _ Titanic  _ a thousand times before, Louis and Harry begin yelling at Niall for spoiling the entire movie, to which Niall yells back about having to sit through the same movie once a month. They argue back and forth and as much as Shawn wants to sit and watch, he takes it as his cue to go fix the power. 

He walks out confused, still unsure of what he’s doing, scared that the power boxes in England are different than the ones in Canada. 

The moment he steps outside, he’s drenched. He probably should’ve grabbed his jacket or at least asked for an umbrella, but it’s too late now. He opens the power box mounted to the siding on the house and takes a moment to read the instructions. It’s raining heavily, and the thunder is nearly deafening, but it’s alright. He flips the switch to restart the power and it works, but the very moment he does, a bolt of lightning strikes down and hits him. 

He doesn’t feel it at first, the jolt of electricity and the burn of it hitting his body harshly coming in almost as an afterthought, and he screams with the feel of it, but no sound comes out. 

Or it does, but his ears about blew with the sound of thunder, and he doesn’t realize he’s making such sound until he hears it. Another crack of thunder scares him back into motion, and he abandons the power box, hoping it worked, and runs inside. 

He doesn’t close the front door after he gets inside, in too much of a rush, horrified with the fact that he’s just been struck by lightning. The wind pulls the door shut and it slams the very moment Shawn makes it to the living room. 

Everybody is blurry. 

“Y’alright, Shawn?” Niall asks, and Shawn has to try his hardest to locate him, his head spinning and making it difficult. “Look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Louis tilts his head as he thinks about Niall’s sentiment, and Shawn mimics the movement. “He’s not pale enough for that, I don’t think. Not a real ghost at least.” 

“‘ve you seen a man under a sheet, Shawn?” Harry jokes, and suddenly they’re all laughing. For a terrifying moment, Shawn’s certain he can hear Niall’s laugh twice, and he sways where he stands. 

It’s all too much, and he feels like he could collapse at any moment. They all stop laughing and Liam stands. “Shawn, really mate. You don’t look so good.” 

“I just got struck by lightning…” 

“No  _ fucking _ way,” Harry all but laughs, and suddenly everyone’s rushing over. 

Shawn backs up, overwhelmed with the sudden movement, his eyes moving too slowly to track it all. In the midst of everyone’s hurry he hears Niall’s accusatory, “He’s lying,” and feels insulted.  

“Why would I lie about this?” he asks, voice coming out meak, pathetic. 

“Did I say that out loud?” But Shawn doesn’t see Niall’s mouth move. He blinks a few times, and then he’s falling to the ground, everything going fuzzy before it turns black. 

The last thing he hears is Niall’s, “What the fuck is wrong with him?” But he hears it twice, the first time distant, but the second time louder and more clear. He passes out feeling hurt, tired, and confused. 

ϟϟϟ

When Shawn wakes up, there are two things he notices. The first is that there’s a distant humming in the back of his head, like a second layer of thoughts to his brain. The second is the gentle shaking of his shoulder and the giant smiling face of Liam right in front of him. 

It’s alarming at first, the last thing he remembers is hallucinating an echo to everything and a blur as he fell towards the ground, only to have Liam taking up his entire view. 

“Hey there, sleepy head,” he greets, grin not ceasing. Shawn groans and closes his eyes, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep. “Best not to do that, mate. Emergency line said to wake you up, and if you didn’t respond or fell back asleep to call them back and they’ll send an ambulance.” 

“An ambulance?” Shawn repeats, eyes opening again at the word. “What happened?”

“You were too hot for your own good,” Niall voice rings through. Shawn tries to find him, but Louis’ suddenly hovering above him too. 

“Mate it was  _ wicked _ ,” Louis’ grinning. He’s got a distant look in his eye and Shawn’s head hurts. “You went out to reset the fuse box, which was completely voluntary, by the way.”

An arm comes out and pushes Louis out of the way. “Jesus Christ, Lou.” Harry’s suddenly in his view. “You got struck by lightning.” 

“We found a scar and everything!” Louis’ back in his face again, and the two both fight to show Shawn the mark, but it only serves to shuffle his body too harshly, making him groan.

“Be careful with him, lads,” Niall warns. Then much more faintly, almost sounding like it’s from Shawn’s own head, “ _ Unless he likes it rough. _ ”  

Shawn struggles a bit to try and see Niall, surprised at the weirdly sexual things he’s saying. He usually tells sexual jokes, but they’re never aimed at Shawn, and they’re never so personal - typically just a limerick or pun he’d hear throughout the week at work. 

In all honesty, Shawn’s thinking enough sexual things in Niall’s presence, he doesn’t need him talking and making them worse… and specific. 

“Here, look!” Harry points at his right shoulder, and Shawn looks. There’s a faint white scar, surrounded in red he assumes is just from the freshness of it. It should fade over time. “It even burnt through your sleeve. Tore it a bit.” Harry picks up two different scraps, a jagged edge, the previous white now with a thin black dusting on the edge. 

“Shame it didn’t take the whole shirt.” Shawn turns to look at Niall, and this time he can see him. He’s leaning against the doorframe too the kitchen, and he’s got a beer in his hand. When he notices Shawn’s eyes, his own widen. Shawn’s a bit freaked, wondering why Niall’s saying these things about him. “Why’s he lookin’ at me like that?” 

Only he doesn’t see Niall’s mouth move at all.

He’s broken out of his thoughts by an ice pack being pressed against his burn. He hisses though his teeth and then moans in relief. He didn’t even realize how much it’d hurt until Liam pressed the cold against it. 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Niall’s voice echoes throughout Shawn’s head. Then a bit more clearly, “I’ve got an early morning lads. Are you alright if I head out?”

“‘f course.” Liam waves him off, keeping his hold on the ice pack. “I got him.”

Louis falls miserably onto his back, lying next to Shawn on the carpeted floor. “I can’t believe he got struck by lightning before the rest of us. He’s the  _ baby _ of the group.” 

“Trust me,” Shawn says, a bite to his words as the pounding in his head gets louder the closer Niall gets to him. “I would’ve rather it’d been you. I feel weird.” Niall makes his way past them and towards the door. None of the other boys pay him any mind. 

Harry’s in face again, grinning as though this is something exciting, and not just a general nuisance. “Do you have  _ superpowers _ ?”

Shawn groans and grabs his head. In the distance, he hears a muffled, “ _ Christ, get yourself together, man. _ ” And then the front door is shutting. 

“If Niall gets struck too,” Louis threatens. “I’m leaving the group.” 

ϟϟϟ

He chalks the weird events following the lightning up to being a strange, short-term result when there aren’t any other incidences throughout the week. He makes it through work unscathed, no odd headaches, no strange voices, no hearing people talk but their mouths not moving  — it was all some weird side effect that barely lasted the night. That’s it. 

When he shows up to Liam’s house the following Friday, he’s determined to let the previous week stay behind him, even if his shoulder still slightly stings. He can hear signs of life inside the house, most noticeably is Niall’s voice, loud as ever. “Liam’s shirt is  _ heinous _ . Haven’t seen an eyesore like that since the nineties.”

Shawn’s already laughing by the time Liam opens the door and he sees the shirt in question, horrid print on it that wouldn’t look good on anyone. “Nice shirt,” he says, sarcasm heavy in his tone. Liam frowns, looking confusedly at his shirt, but Niall’s echoing laughter comes booming through the house, and Shawn can’t help but smile at the sound. 

Liam lets him in, still frowning, and shuts the door behind him. Shawn almost feels bad for the joke, but Niall started it, and he’s never serious with his insults. 

“Hey!” Louis greets, all but yelling when Shawn walks into the room. “Kid Lightning, what’s happening?”

Shawn grins, slips his shoes off and joins everyone one the couch, taking his usual seat next to Niall. 

“You look good.” 

Shawn feels himself blushing at Niall’s words. He clears his throat. “Thank you.” Niall quirks an eyebrow, looking confused, and Shawn feels embarrassed. He probably wasn’t talking to him. 

“Alright,” Liam turns the television on, the screen for his DVD system playing, saying the tray is open. There’s not anything lined up to be played yet. “It’s Shawn’s turn to pick a movie, and if the power gets knocked out again, Louis will be risking his life to fix it.”

“Why me?”

Next to Shawn, Niall scoffs. “Because you almost killed Shawn last week, arsehole.”

“Because it was your bright idea that got Shawn electrocuted, arshehole,” Liam says. 

Shawn looks to Niall, and he’s nodding along like he agrees with Liam’s point. Shawn pauses, feeling like he’s in another dimension because didn’t Niall just say basically the same thing? 

“That’s fine with me then.” Louis’ slouching in his seat, taking up more than one cushion. “Maybe I’ll actually get superpowers.”

“Already got the ability to get on my nerves, don’t ya?” At Niall’s joke, Shawn smiles, shaking his head. 

“What’s so funny over there, Mendes?” Louis asks. 

Shawn looks to Niall, who’s looking at him strangely as though he didn’t just make a joke. He’s incredibly confused. “Y’alright?”

“I - I don’t know.” 

There’s a knock on the door, but it doesn’t do much to pull Shawn out of his confusion. “That’s gonna be Haz.” Liam stands up and makes his way out of the room. “Shawn, pick the movie already.”

He disappears and Shawn gets up from his seat. He goes over to the shelf, wanting to choose something they wouldn’t be able to watch on Netflix, since he could do that at home. He also wants something the others will enjoy, he’s never been one to put his own wants above the others’, which is why he hates when it’s his day to choose. 

Behind him, Louis begins speaking in the silence. “So how’s work, Nialler? How are things in the studio.”

“Not great. They’ve got me working with the interns this weeks.” Shawn bends over to look at the middle shelf. “ _Jesus_ _Christ_.” Almost as if he’d never said the second part, Louis talks over him. It’s rude, Shawn thinks, but he doesn’t say anything, focusing on picking something the others (read: Niall) will enjoy too. 

When Liam and Harry make their way in the room, Shawn can tell just by the obnoxious amount of noise that’s being made. “What the fuck is all that?” Niall asks twice, the second time much louder and more clear. 

Shawn turns around and sees Harry holding a box full of what looks like fruit. There’s definitely a banana and a pineapple sitting up top. “Liam has snacks, you know?” 

“Yes, but does he have smoothies?” Harry questions rhetorically. “No he does not.” 

Shawn rolls his eyes, but it’s light-hearted, laughing as he goes back to the movie hunt as Harry trots to the kitchen. Of everything in front of him, he can’t focus on the titles long enough to think about the plots and what’ll play out the best for everybody’s tastes. “I don’t know what to put on.” 

“Caddyshack,” Niall tells him. 

Shawn nods and goes to the Cs, pulling caddyshack off the wall. He opens the case and sets it in the open and waiting tray. As it loads on the screen he takes his seat next to Niall again. 

“You choose one then?” Liam asks. 

“Yeah, Caddyshack.”

“ _ Hey _ ,” Niall’s grinning, and at first Shawn thinks he’s going to high-five him or thank him for picking his choice, but then he adds, “I was seriously  _ just _ thinking about Caddyshack.” 

Shawn’s eyebrows furrow. Something weird is going on, and Shawn doesn’t think he can put it down to a temporary misapprehension of the situation this time. The movie plays on the screen in front of them and Harry’s making far too much noise in the kitchen with the blender, yet Shawn’s attention can’t be pulled from his own head.

Not long after the blender’s turned off, Harry’s handing Liam and Louis tall glasses with a pinkish hue. There are curly straws in them, and he presents them with a grin, his dimples popping and eyes crinkling on the side. The whole thing is sp typically Harry it hurts.  

“Enjoy, boys.” He turns to Niall and Shawn, a finger being pointed in their face. “I’ll be back with yours.” The sounds of the blender start up again, and when it stops, Harry’s handing them their own smoothies within moments.

“Thank you.” Shawn smiles and Harry grins back. 

“Anytime.” 

“ _ Get a fucking room. _ ” This time, Shawn was looking at Niall, and he’s almost certain Niall didn’t speak. His lips definitely didn’t move, but Shawn heard the bitter intonation clear as day. 

It’s exactly what happened a week ago, and the evidence is damning. Something is wrong, and the lightning is the cause of it. He doesn’t know what it is exactly, but he needs to figure it out. 

Not now, though, not when the video is just starting, and he doesn’t have the ability to talk himself through his theories. 

He notices Harry watching him expectantly. Everyone else has already taken a drink, so starts drinking his smoothie, and… well, it’s really good. Harry’s a talent in the kitchen, that much is true. He moans and drinks more, hollowing his cheeks to get more. 

“ _ It’s like a front row seat to him sucking co -  _ ” Niall’s words are cut off as Shawn coughs out his drink, hurting all way up. Niall rushes over to pat his back, and Shawn has to push him off, shaking his head. “ _ Jesus, what’s wrong with this kid? Every week it’s a new disaster. _ ” 

Shawn excuses himself, still coughing, and goes into the bathroom to gather himself. He takes a drink from the faucet, using his hands as a cup, and takes a reflective moment in the mirror.

He examines his scar, feels the slight burn to it, and realizes somethings fucked up. Something’s really fucking wrong.

ϟϟϟ

The next night, Harry calls everyone out for drinks. 

It’s unusual, the five of them not often getting together outside of their typical Friday nights, just hanging out in Liam’s house with cheap beer and terrible movies, but when the offer to do more than just sleep through Saturday, Shawn’s not going to decline. 

Work kicks his ass five days a week, and he doesn’t often go out, so he plans on getting extraordinarily hammered tonight. 

Though he’d be a liar if he said that was his only motivation. He’s had all day to think things through, every single word uttered by Niall  — whether it was heard by everybody or just Shawn  — and he’s come to the conclusion that, no matter how completely ridiculous it seems, he can read Niall’s mind. 

At the beginning, he thought maybe it’d been hallucinations or delusions, making him think he was hearing his own intrusive thoughts in Niall’s voice, but the context of it didn’t make any sense. There were things Niall said, quips that Shawn would’ve never thought of on his own  — no matter how much he liked hearing them. 

Maybe he’s taking Harry and Louis’ superpower comments too literally, maybe it’s just the lightning slowly deteriorating his brain, taking all proper cognitive abilities slowly away. It’s possible, Shawn will admit to that. But if that’s the truth, it doesn’t explain why he can hear Niall’s voice saying that Liam’s going to be a few minutes late because of traffic when he’s well on the other side of the bar… 

And then Liam shows up seventeen minutes late, citing his reasoning as traffic. 

It’s not that Shawn thinks he’s gone crazy, but he’s certain that if he tells anybody what’s happening, he’ll sound absolutely  _ insane _ . 

So he suffers, hearing Niall’s innermost thoughts, and he’s not able to say a goddamn thing about it. 

After Liam’s arrived, Harry runs up to the bar and buys everybody a round, which is the least he can do after pulling everyone out of the house. When he returns, he shares the news that he’s just gotten a promotion, which leads to a solid minute of cheering, palms landing on Harry’s shoulder and offers to buy the next round. It’s exactly what he wanted, it seems, as he insists he won’t buy any more rounds, and the task has to fall on the rest of them. 

They get started, making small talk as they usually do before they’re drunk. They talk about their work weeks and Liam spends too much time talking about his boyfriend coming back home in a month. They all lovingly make fun of him, pushing his shoulders as they let the alcohol flow through them. 

So far, it’s nothing outside of a normal weekend at the bar. They all joke back and forth, letting their drinks affect them, and enjoy the atmosphere of just being out on a weekend. The only thing that’s different is the extreme amount of time and energy Shawn’s putting into paying attention to Niall. 

Every odd glance and throwaway thought he has, Shawn’s tracking it. 

It seems that someone else is too. After Niall glances towards the bar, wondering about the next round of drinks, for the third time, Louis leans over and slaps his shoulder. “What’re looking around for Niall? Looking to pull?”

Shawn keeps his eyes steadily pointed at the table. He doesn’t want to be obvious that he’s listening. 

“Don’t think so,” Niall says. “Got my eye on something else _. _ ” Shawn doesn’t know which was said and which was thought, but his lips twist either way. 

“A change of pace, huh?” 

Niall’s laugh echoes twice. “Figure I should focus more on you lot.” 

“Then you wouldn’t mind grabbing the next round?” Louis asks, and for a moment Shawn considers maybe Niall’s been speaking his want for more alcohol, but then Niall rolls his eyes, and stands up. 

“ _ Just because he can’t see over the bar -  _ ” 

And Shawn laughs. 

Niall goes to the bar and returns, and the night goes on. Just as a typical night out goes down, they continue to drink, playing silly games as they do. Though Shawn’s never had this opportunity to realize that as Niall gets sufficiently more intoxicated, his thoughts get downright  _ filthy _ .

“Alright, Haz,” Liam says suddenly, placing his almost empty glass on the table. “‘ve got a good one for you.” 

“Lay it on me.”

“Niall, Louis, Shawn.” He points each of them out as he says their names, moving down the row. “Fuck, marry, kill.”

Louis rolls his eyes, a bored look on his face. “I think we all know the answer to this.”

Though Shawn never gets to hear the answer because all he hears is Niall’s “ _ Fuck Shawn, _ ” and it makes him sputter in his drink. He’s not sure if it’s the amount of alcohol Niall’s had that’s making him have these thoughts, or if it’s only upping the consistency of them. 

Either way, Shawn’s not having the easiest night. 

“Alright, okay,” Louis says, voice almost too loud in Shawn’s ear. “My turn. Give me one.” 

Next to Shawn, Louis’ wiggling in his seat with the excitement of getting his pairing, but all Shawn can pay attention to is Niall’s continued thoughts, getting more and more graphic with every word. He does his best to hide his reaction by finishing his drink while Harry lists three celebrities for the game.

“Ya got a little something,” Shawn hears in Niall’s voice. It takes a moment for him to realize Niall’s actually  _ speaking _ . “Mate, you’ve got…” He gestures to the side of his mouth and Shawn sticks his tongue out to try and remove whatever’s on his face. “No, it’s - ”

They’ve apparently attracted the attention of the others as suddenly Liam’s in his face, rubbing his thumb across Shawn’s chin. He leans back in his seat and wipes the alcohol off on his napkin.

Feeling a little tipsy at this point, Shawn grins harder than necessary. “Thanks!” 

“ _ I would’ve used my fucking tongue. _ ” At Niall’s bitterly intoned thought Shawn’s smiles goes tight-lipped. The image of it makes Shawn squirm in his seat. “ _ Jesus he gets red. Wonder how low it goes. _ ” 

“Whose turn is it to get more?” Shawn asks, voice getting louder, trying to block the impure thoughts from his mind. 

“That’d be Payno. And - ” Louis pauses, taking the moment to down the rest of his drink. When he finishes, he slams it down with a grin. “I’d like to make mine a double.” 

“Me too.” Niall’s looking at Shawn, eyebrows furrowed. His mind is racing with thoughts better suited for the privacy of his own home, and Shawn’s neck is positively burning. He wants to say he can’t believe everything Niall’s thinking, but the heated look in his eyes is serving as a reassurance of sorts, making it all the more real. 

As Liam walks away, Louis begins another round of the game. “Alright, Horan. Beckham, Ronaldo, Neymar. Go!” 

“ _ Who fuckn - _ ” Niall shakes his head and looks to Louis. Shawn finally feels like he can breathe with Niall’s eyes off of him. It’s a moment of reprieve that he didn’t know he needed. “Kill Ronaldo, marry Neymar, fuck Beckham.” 

Louis’ nodding appreciatively, but Harry suddenly groans, throwing his head down on the table, but angling it out to face the three of them. He stares dramatically at nothing for a bit before sighing. “This is  _ boring _ . Can we play something else?” 

Personally, Shawn doesn’t care either way. He’s certain that regardless of what game is played, Niall will find a way to think the perfect things that have Shawn a shaking mess in his goddamn seat. 

A waitress walks by then, and Niall signals taking a shot and puts two fingers up. Nobody else notices, but then again, nobody else has has spent their night taking in every detail of him, mind and body. 

“What else is there?” Louis asks. 

For a moment, it looks like Niall is going to join the competition, but Shawn’s just not that lucky. “ _ His eyes are so foggy. Wonder if that’s what he’d look like fucked out _ .”  

“I could think of a few,” Harry offers, but then he falls silent, which is the exact opposite of what needs to happen. Shawn’s certain he’s destined to be miserable the entire night, but the moments when Niall’s attention was invested in the game were tiny glimpses of sanity for Shawn. If the night offers him at least a few breaks, maybe he can make it until last call. “Alright,” Harry grins, clapping his hands together. “Let’s say you’re going on a road trip - ”

A tray of drinks is placed on the table by Liam, cutting off Harry’s game. He looks excited, and doesn’t bother handing everybody their own drinks before sitting down and grinning across the table. “I’ve got a good one for Louis.”

“We’ve moved past that, Payno.” Louis waves his hand, rolling his eyes as though it was obvious. “Where have you been?” 

“What are we playing then?”

Harry laughs and leans forward, his hands wrapping around the edge of the table as he leans back in his chair. “Okay. So you’re on a road trip with James Corden, Alan Carr -

“This is just fuck marry kill again, isn’t it?” Niall asks, and Shawn’s never been so happy to see someone’s mouth move. 

“ _ Kind of _ .” 

Liam sighs. “Look let’s just do never have I ever. It’s a classic one.” 

The waitress returns with two shots and places them in front of Niall, taking their tray with her as she goes. Shawn watches as Niall downs both of the shots through slitted eyes, knowing that the only thing worse than hearing Niall’s dirty thoughts is playing never have I ever with a drunken Niall, who’s not only pregamed, but fueled up even more than the others. 

It’s already hard enough for him to have to sit through this mental assault, but Niall adding even more liquor to the mix isn’t doing either of them any favors. Shawn’s going to have a hangover just from having to hear his crush’s deepest fantasies.

And even though it’s almost reflective of his own thoughts, there’s a power imbalance that makes him feel guilty about it. 

“We already know how that’s going to play out,” Louis scoffs, but doesn’t take a swig of drink even though he looks tempted. “I’m going to be shit faced after one round, and Shawn’s going to have a full glass by the end.” 

“Why would I - ”

“ _ He’s not as innocent as you think. _ ” Niall’s thought interrupts Shawn’s question. “ _ He’s spent some time on his back. _ ” Shawn knows Niall didn’t say it out loud, but he still sputters. He can feel himself getting visibly turned on just by the look in Niall’s eye, and he’s helpless to stop it. 

“I’ll start!” Ignoring Louis’ argument against playing, Harry volunteers himself to begin the game. “Never have I ever, um. Never have I ever stolen from my job.” 

Only Louis drinks, doing so with far too much of an attitude for how drunk he is already. “I told you how this game would go, don’t look surprised. I worked there for two years, I deserved it.”

The game goes on, and while it felt too immature to play at the beginning, the scenarios start getting more sexual as the rounds come and go. The adolescent questioning gets amped up, and Niall’s thoughts get filthier. Just as Louis predicted, Shawn doesn’t get to drink very often, but when he does, it’s always comes with a filthy retort from Niall’s head, and Shawn’s going fucking insane with it. 

If the questions were less personal and weren’t specifically aimed to tell intimate details about everyone’s sex lives, maybe Shawn would be allowed a moment  — just a moment  — of peace, but now Niall’s learning all of Shawn’s secrets, and Shawn gets a front row seat to his responses. 

His overtly sexual and unmistakably aroused responses. 

“Never have I ever thought of sleeping with someone at this table,” Louis says on his turn, a smirk on his face. 

Everybody drinks, even Louis, but all Shawn can comprehend are Niall’s eyes are burning into the side of Shawn’s head. “ _ With who _ ?” Even in his mind, Shawn can hear the jealousy. It makes a jolt of electricity shiver a path down his spine. 

“You can’t drink on your own question,” Liam points out. 

Louis rolls his eyes, waving Liam’s rule judgement off. “I can and I did. Now here’s the real question: top or bottom?” 

“Louis - ”

“Bottom,” Harry happily volunteers. 

Next to him, Liam drop his head in his hand with a groan. “Jesus Christ, Harry.” 

“ _ Shawn’s a bottom. _ ” Niall’s completely ignoring everything going around them other than the essential questions, his whisky-impaired brain so hyper-focused on his fantasies that he can’t extend effort on much else. “ _ He’ll stay on all fours just waiting to take it. _ ”  

“I - ”

“ _ Begging for more, knowing he can get himself off, but not wanting too. Just needing to be good, to be taken care of and fucked within an inch of his life. _ ” 

“Never have I ever topped,” Shawn spits out impulsively. All he knew was that it was his turn next, and Niall was only allowing one image in his mind.

Niall smirks, licking his teeth smugly. “ _ Knew it _ .”  

Shawn doesn’t know why he said it or why he shared, but when everyone else drinks, his entire face goes red. The alcohol is clearly affecting him as much as it is Niall, and at that point, Shawn knows he can’t get rid of the ideas floating through Niall’s head. He just wishes the other man would  _ act _ on it. 

“Never, mate?” Louis questions, for once, not a trace of a joke in his voice. 

Shawn never gets to answer as Harry’s happily chirping, “I top from the bottom sometimes!” In an instant Louis’ positively cackling as Liam throws his head into where his arms are crossed on the table. “Do you do that too?” 

“No, I - ”

Before he can finish his thought, Niall’s intrusive thoughts are cutting through. “ _ He just wants to take it. _ ” There’s a moment Shawn has to force his lips together so as not to moan. At this point, it’s almost as though Shawn can  _ see _ what Niall’s describing, and it only serves to make the situation worse. 

“You what, mate?” The thing is, Harry looks so genuinely interested in it, that Shawn feels bad for wanting him to never open his mouth again. Now just isn’t the time for them to be opening up with each other. He doesn’t know why they’re talking about their sex lives. It’s in bad taste, they should move on, and never bring this up again. 

“Isn’t it Liam’s turn?” Shawn looks to the man in question, but Liam only shrugs, thinking for a minute. Shawn does everything in his ability to think louder than Niall’s thoughts.

It doesn’t work. 

“Never have I ever been spanked during sex,” Liam supplies. Harry and Shawn drink, and Shawn immediately curses at why he’d volunteer the information up. Especially when Niall’s eyes narrow. Throat bobbing as he swallows what must be a particularly filthy thought. 

“Nobody’s wanted to hit yours, Tommo?” Liam jokes. 

“It’s a crime, I know.” Louis waves his hand in the air, leaning on his hip haughtily. “With an arse like mine - ”

Shawn’s unsure of how they can make jokes right now. They’re all completely oblivious to the one-sided war raging between Niall’s thoughts and Shawn’s hardening dick. They’ve only been at the bar for two and half hours or so, much shorter than it usually takes before Shawn’s useless with control. It’s all getting to his head quickly, properly ruining him, and Niall doesn’t even realize what he’s doing or the power he holds. 

“ _ Knew he liked it rough. _ ” Shawn wants to tell Niall now, to save himself the embarrassment of being dirty-talked into a public orgasm. “ _ Bet he turns nice and pink, falls apart right under somebody else’s hands. _ ” 

In a last-ditch attempt to end his suffering, Shawn offers, “Next round, anyone?” His voice is almost an octave higher than it usually is, making the shield he’s trying to put up completely transparent. 

He’s completely hard in his pants, and when every agrees to more drinks, he has to flip his dick into his waistband to keep it from becoming a noticeable issue. He’s glad he did it when Niall’s “ _ Eager to please, isn’t he? _ ” cuts throw the crowd as Shawn rushes off to the bar.  

“Jesus,” he sighs, now that he feels free to react outwardly.  

When he gets to the bar and orders another round, he spends his time leaning against the bar with his head cradled in his hands, nearly tearing this hair out. He’d always been told that hell was fire and brimstone, but he’s learning that hell is sitting across from Niall Horan and not being able to touch. 

He can’t do it, he needs to disappear immediately. He’s never been so hard in his life, can feel himself leaking into his underwear. To make it through the rest of the night would be a goddamn miracle.

Too soon, the drinks are ready and Shawn’s carrying the tray back to their table, fearing for the impending thoughts that are about to plague him for the rest of the night. When he returns, they’re all laughing. He places the tray down and Louis turns to him, looking far too excited about something that can’t  _ possibly _ be good.  

“You missed a good one, lad,” Louis laughs. “Niall says, ‘never have I ever been eaten out.’”

“ _ Jesus _ , Niall.” Truly, Shawn shouldn’t have expected anything less. 

Even if Shawn couldn’t hear Niall’s thoughts, the tilt to his head and edge to his voice when he challenges, “Drink if you have,” would give away his intentions with the question.  

Everybody’s staring at him, and Shawn rolls his eyes, feeling hopeless as hell, and takes the drink. “Who else drank?” He hopes more than anything that everyone will hear just how dejected he sounds and take pity on him. 

“Me and Niall,” Harry helpfully supplies.  

“I prefer to give.” Shawn doesn’t know what’s said or thought at this point  — it’s all blending together in an arousing sort of torture. So he just nods, hoping it’s interaction enough. “ _ I’m pretty good with my tongue, if you want to find out. _ ” 

It’s too much, too soon and he has to put an end to it. “I think this game is over!”

Harry groans, which is typical enough of him that Shawn doesn’t feel a lick of guilt. “It was just getting good.” 

“Shawn’s right,” Louis agrees, and Shawn’s heart skips a beat in relief. “I’m gonna go smoke for a minute. Liam, you want to come?” Liam nods and they’re both off, heading out the back to the smoking patio. 

“And then there were three,” Harry chuckles when the other two are out of sight. “Never have I ever sent a naked picture.” 

Harry drinks, even though it was his question, and Shawn rolls his eyes. “We’re done playing,” he repeats, hoping he stopped Niall’s thoughts of sexting before they came to fruition. 

Harry pouts. “Fine then. I’ll take myself elsewhere. Maybe someone else will appreciate me.” 

Too fast for Shawn to say something and stop him from abandoning them, Harry makes his way to the dancefloor. In a matter of minutes from his arrival at the table, he’s stranded with dirty-thinking, imaginative, quick-tongued Niall.

And Shawn immediately regrets ending the game. 

It’s almost a sensory overload with how much he  _ feels _ and what he hears, and can practically see. Shawn’s not a prude, not in the least. He enjoys his fair share of pornography, has had far too many dirty thoughts  — enough even about Niall specifically  — but he never realized what an absolute vault the mind is until it’s open and bleeding fantasies in front of him. 

It’s like Niall has no shame about it, either. He’s thinking these things, getting graphic with his ideas, practically transferring visions in Shawn’s eyes. He’s brazen, not caring that their in the company of friends and one slip up could have Niall telling the entire table about everything he wants to do to Shawn and -

Jesus Christ, he’s never been this hard in public before. 

“ _ Wish they’d learn to fuck off like that when we’re not in public. Maybe I could get Shawn on his knees and - _ ”

“I can hear everything you’re thinking,” Shawn spills. He doesn’t mean to do it, was willing to suffer in silence and spare the other man of any possible humiliation, but without the safety net of having the other boys there, he’d be forced to have a conversation with Niall. That’s mean having to form full thoughts of his own and turn them into tangible sentences  — something he can’t do if Niall’s whispering his every desire straight into Shawn’s soul. 

There’s silence for a moment, thoughts and all, until. Niall clears his throat. “What?” Shawn shakes his head, not wanting to repeat himself but knowing he may have to, and Niall laughs, carefree as anything. “Seriously, mate, what are you talking about?” 

“I can hear your thoughts,” he says, his eyes drifting towards the dancefloor, not wanting to look Niall in the eyes. Every time he’s done that it’s ended in disaster. “Every filthy thing you’ve thought tonight. I - I heard it all.” 

Niall’s eyes narrow and Shawn’s staring steadily at the bar, trying not to move under the scrutiny of Niall’s gaze. “You what?” At the same moment, his mind is running as well. “ _ Is he fucking with me _ ?” 

“I’m not fucking with you.”

“ _ Is he fucking - _ ” Niall’s eyes widen and Shawn curses for looking at him. “That was a coincidence.” 

Shawn shakes his head. “It wasn’t.” 

“What am I thinking about right now?” Niall doesn’t think it right away, and Shawn suspects the numbers flashing by are his attempt and thinking solidly, but soon the place his mind wanted to go made an appearance. “ _ He heard me saying I was good with my tongue. _ ” 

Shawn rolls his eyes up when he hears the words, looking steadily up at the ceiling, almost angry Niall was making him rehash it. “That I heard you say you were good with your tongue.”

“ _ Fuck _ !” But he hears it twice. “Since when? Was it just tonight?” And just like Niall, unable to comprehend the situation, he thinks, “ _ Did you hear me think about you riding me last week? _ ” 

Even though he tries not to, wanting to remain neutral in the situation, Shawn can’t help but to moan a bit into the air. “I didn’t - ” He takes in a breath. “I didn’t hear about, about  _ that _ . It was when I got struck by lightning, I think.”

“ _ Then he didn’t hear -  _ ”

“Niall, I can hear everything  _ now _ ,” he insist. “Please don’t make this worse.”

“Right,  _ fuck _ .” Shawn lowers his eyes straight to the table, needing to avoid anything intimate with Niall. “How do - ”

Louis and Liam return to table then, cutting off any and all mind-reading talk. It’s a relief for Shawn, in all honesty. They move on to another topic, something nonsexual which is a blessing in itself, but Niall looks terrified as shit and Shawn’s still insanely hard, thinking about everything Niall’s thought.  

The other man spends the night singing the  _ Golden Girls _ theme song in his head on repeat. There are a few glimpses of other things, such as when Harry comes back and Niall notices the blown out quality of his eyes or when Louis convinces Liam to by two rounds in a row. It’s a small insight to Niall, but not enough to undo all of the work Shawn put into calming his prick down. 

They manage to survive the rest of the night incident free…

Almost. 

Last call comes and instead of grabbing one last shot, they decide it’d be smart to close their tabs and head home. As Shawn’s standing and pulling his wallet out of his pocket, he drops it under their tall table, and goes to retrieve it. 

He doesn’t realize just where he is in relation to everybody else until he hears, “ _ Look like a fucking natural down there, lad. _ ” In shock, not expecting the dirty thought after so much time had passed, Shawn looks straight up, eyes wide under his eyelashes, only to see he’s directly between Niall’s legs, and the man is watching him with an avid interest. “I am so sorry, mate,” Niall says, rushing out of his seat and through the crowd. Though he doesn’t make it far enough away for Shawn to miss his “ _ Boy is sinful _ .”

Shawn goes home and barely touches himself through his jeans before he’s painting the inside of them white. 

ϟϟϟ

A week goes by, and Niall is steadfastly ignoring him. No matter how often Shawn extends an olive branch, Niall refuses to answer his texts. He keeps persisting, messaging him, just wanting to talk, to let him know there was nothing to be embarrassed about and that everyone was too drunk to think straight. 

He never gets the chance though, which means the next time they see each other is at Liam’s house Friday night for movies. It’s not ideal seeing as they never got a chance to talk through the uncomfortable discovery, stopped by Liam and Louis’ untimely return. Now, Shawn’s certain there’s going to be a palpable tension between them, something the others will notice, and something that could possibly ruin their group dynamic. 

As he walks up to Liam’s door, Shawn makes himself a promise that he’ll talk to Niall as soon the opportunity presents himself. Though it’s going to be harder than it seems, he realizes, when Niall’s so desperate to avoid him. When his knuckles rap on the door, Niall’s voice cuts through. 

“ _ Fuck that’s Shawn, he… _ ” He’s noticeably panicked, which doesn’t serve to make Shawn feel much better about the situation. _ “Just stare at the wall. Just stare at the wall. _ ” 

Shawn rolls his eyes. Leave it to Niall to be obvious in trying to be subtle. Liam lets him in, and he makes his way to the living room. He’s the last one to arrive, and the only open space, of course, is next to Niall. It seems that no matter how much he tries to avoid Shawn, they’ll end up falling into their same routines.

Upon his entrance, everyone greets Shawn. Everyone, that is, except Niall. So Shawn singles him out. “Hey, Niall.” 

“Hello,” Niall greets, voice stiff and words succinct. He then turns to stare at the black television, not even turned on, and begins making lists in his head. He won’t look at Shawn, which is really proving to make his plan much harder. 

Instead of sulking or forcing the issue onto Niall, he sits back and tries to guess what Niall’s listing in his head. He doesn’t dare speak, not wanting to way Niall’s thoughts, not wanting to distract him when it’s obvious he’s doing it all with a purpose.

Though it’s easy for Shawn to keep to himself when Niall’s lists are this boring  — ‘things that are yellow’ and ‘Harry’s ex-boyfriends’ — but when he starts to get into the more interesting things, Shawn’s all but suffering not to yell out the answer.

Their friends are all talking around them, and Shawn’s trying his best to participate, but  — as always  — Niall’s so much more interesting. 

It’s as Niall’s firing off “ _ Black Magic Woman, Landslide, Don't Stop, _ ” That Shawn can’t hold it in anymore. “ _ Tallahassee Lassie, You Make Loving Fun, Rhiannon. _ ” 

“Fleetwood Mac,” He says, hoping he came across as quiet as he’d intended. 

“ _ Jesus _ .”  

“Shawn has a great idea,” Harry announces, the only one close enough to have heard him. “Let’s skip the movie and just listen to Fleetwood Mac. Maybe crack open a bottle of wine?” Which was most definitely  _ not _ what Shawn had said at all. 

From where he’s crouching in front of the movie case, Liam huffs, turning around. “You’ve told me that’s literally a part of your foreplay, Haz. Besides, it’s my turn to pick a movie.” He faces the shelf again and goes back to perusing his options. 

“ _Don’t think about foreplay. Don’t think about Shawn._ ” It’s bad enough that when Niall’s drunk he can’t control his thoughts from getting filthy. It’s even worse that sober, he still has to make a conscious effort to not think anything inappropriate. “ _Don’t think about fucking Shawn - fuck_.”

Shawn huffs and stares up to the ceiling. It’s going to be a long evening. 

When Liam chooses the movie and puts it in, Shawn’s relieved. With the film playing, it gives Niall something to pay attention to, and it gives them both a nice break. Sure, Shawn still has to sit through Niall’s internal commentary about the film, but listening to voice talking about something he’s interested in has never been a hardship for him. 

In fact, the moment Shawn was certain he had a crush on the Irish lad was in the middle of a rant about golf. He couldn’t have cared less about what ever rules Justin Thomas broke, all he was interested in was the passion in Niall’s eyes as he rambled his own one-sided argument against himself. 

Things don’t stay calm and tension-free for long, not that Shawn expected them to. Harry returns to the living room after slipping away to make some more popcorn. He sets the bowl on the coffee table and Shawn leans forward to grab a handful. As he does so, his shirt pulls up slightly, revealing his lower back and a bit of his hip, which is something he wouldn’t think twice about in any other situation. 

“ _ Fuck _ off,” Niall’s though cuts through. Shawn sits stock still, and Niall curses again, having to really concentrate to get back into the movie. It doesn’t work and less than a minute later, he’s slipping away, repeating a mantra of “ _ Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom _ ,” as he goes. 

Shawn follows. 

After everything that’s happened and how careful they’ve had to make themselves, he figures now’s as good a time as any to put an end to the uncomfortable barrier between them. 

He corners Niall as he’s leaving the bathroom. The other man curses as soon as he sees Shawn, both in his head and out loud. “Stop avoiding me.”

“I’m not trying to mate, it’s just - ” he cuts himself off, as though he doesn’t want to admit something, but Shawn still hears it anyway. “ _ I have no privacy. _ ”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” 

“ _ Stop _ doing that, lad,” Niall chuckles dryly. “You’re doin’ me head in everytime to answer to my thoughts.” 

He’s right though, there’s a layer of privacy Shawn gets that Niall doesn’t, and it’s got to be confusing and upsetting for him. “I’m  _ sorry _ . I didn’t mean to make everything awkward. I just want things to go back to the way they were.”

“They  _ can’t _ .” And suddenly Niall’s the one avoiding eye contact. “You’ve heard it  _ all _ , Shawn. I can’t fucking look at you without,” his voice cracks, and he continues, much softer, “without knowing you’ve heard me think about fucking you.” At the image Shawn suddenly sees, he can feel the blush climbing his neck. “Stop doing that!”

“Doing  _ what _ ?” Shawn insists, making his own attempt at moving past the dirty thought. “You said that last part out loud.” 

“Yeah but you’re reacting to it. You look like such a fucking twink and it’s doing my head in.” 

At his words, Shawn finds himself getting hot, the red taking over his body and he heats up in a way reminiscent of Saturday night. 

“Don’t - ” he pauses to close his eyes briefly and look down. “Don’t call me that.” 

“A twink?” Niall laughs, and though it could easily sound cruel, it doesn’t. “That’s where you draw the line? You had no problem with me thinkin’ in explicit detail about you choking on my cock, but you don’t like being called a twink?” 

Again, the images burn bright in his mind, and he finds himself mumbling, “I didn’t mind the other stuff.”

“I’m sorry, what’d you just say?” Niall asks, but the intensity in his eyes makes Shawn think he heard the words. He repeats himself and Niall nods, a filthy smirk taking over. “Yeah? You didn’t mind it?” Shawn shakes his head. He peaks down the hall to make sure nobody’s coming, that nobody’s listening in on their conversation, knowing that it’s not going down a pure path. “What part exactly? You being on your knees for me? Or you layin’ down and just  _ taking _ what’s given to you? Watching that blush run down your body and turning you skin pink when I - ”

Wanting to shut him up, needing to defuse the situation before they get caught in the hallway, dirty talk spilling from Niall’s lips as Shawn turns into a useless puddle of arousal, he kisses Niall and Niall positively melts into it. 

His head, for once, is completely clear. 

Niall pulls back quickly, with a gasp. “This isn’t just because of what I’ve been thinkin’ about you, is it? I don’t want you to think I’m only in it for the sex.” Shawn shakes his head and leans in for another kiss, but Niall pulls back again. “Shawn - ”

“I’ve liked you since forever ago,” Shawn tells him honestly, not wanting to miscommunicate where they stand and end up exactly how they did earlier today. “You thinking of me on my knees just made me realize it was mutual.”

“Yeah?” Niall all but growls. “You thinkin’ of bein’ on your knees for me?” Shawn nods, brain failing to supply his mouth with something to say, and Niall kisses him again.

It’s different than he imagined  — Niall’s lips more firm, his hands rough where they settle themselves on Shawn’s hips under his shirt  — but it’s still turning him on all the same. It’s not quite the degree to which he was aroused on Saturday night, but it’s somehow better. For Shawn, it feels like being struck by lightning again and again every time Niall’s tongue licks its way into his mouth. 

“We should probably head back out there,” Niall says after they’ve been kissing for a few minutes. 

“Yeah - ”

But despite his words, Shawn doesn’t walk away, he leans in and tries initiating more. Niall laughs and doesn’t let it happen. “You head out first, and I’ll join you in a minute.” 

With much hesitancy, Shawn makes his way back to the living room where the movie’s still playing as though nothing happened, as though Shawn didn’t just come out of what  _ had _ to be a dream. 

Niall comes back with a bottle of water, a physical excuse for disappearing, placing it on the table and exchanging a secret smile with Shawn. Nobody makes a comment on it, and the duo turn their attention to the movie on the screen. 

There’s only around half an hour left in the movie, and Shawn finds his thoughts drifting, finally letting himself be the one with the dirty mind. After that’d just happened, that’s  _ been _ happening since he was struck by lightning, he deserves it. 

Images flash through his mind, bits of his own fantasies coupled with what Niall was saying in the hall, and it hit him hard enough that he has to adjust himself, clearing his throat as he does. 

“ _ I saw that, lad. _ ” Shawn jerks at the sound of Niall’s voice, but when he looks over, Niall’s eyes are on the television, a smirk on his face. “ _ Your mind running off? Thinking of all the dirty things I’m going to do when I get you alone? _ ” Shawn clears his throat, cracking his neck. “ _ I can’t hear your thoughts, but I can see your body language. ‘ve spent a lot of time watching you, and I know what that flush means. _ ”

Shawn tries to tune him out and focus on the movie but it obviously doesn’t work. If he wasn’t able to ignore it before, now that Niall’s directly speaking  _ to _ him, there’s no way he’s able. He’s just glad that the others are oblivious to what’s happening and can’t hear the ramblings of an insatiable man.

“ _ What’re you thinking about? _ ” Niall asks. “ _ What I said earlier? Or are you coming up with your own list? Your own dirty list of things you want to do. I won’t judge you, baby. You can tell me. _ ” Shawn discreetly shakes his head. He’s getting hard in his pants and he needs this to stop before he makes a fool of himself. “ _ No? That’s a shame. I’ll just have to tell you more about me then. I know I talk about you getting on your knees for me, but the first time I get you down, I’m gonna have you face down on my bed, and I’m gonna open you up with my tongue, nice and slow. _ ” 

Shawn’s jaw drops slightly and his breathing is getting heavier. If there were to be a time for the electricity to cut out, it’d be now. 

“ _ You like that don’t you? _ ” His tone is almost patronizing now, and it’s humiliating how Shawn’s body is reacting to it. “ _ I saw how you reacted in the bar last week. _ ” He’s fully hard at this point, nearly sweating, and Niall’s only managing to get more graphic. “ _ I just wanna see how you take it, lad. Wanna see how far I can take you before you’re beggin’ for more. See how wet I can get you before you’re crying for my dick. _ ” 

Shawn stands suddenly. “I - It’s getting late, I should walk.” 

He rushes towards the door, hoping nobody noticed how hard he is, how stiff his muscles are, how flushed he is just from Niall’s thoughts. Niall  — whom he can hear laughing in his head. 

“You alright, mate?” Liam asks, looking genuinely concerned. As he should  — Shawn’s not acting himself.

“Perfectly - ”

“ _ If you’re like this now, just wait til I get my cock in ya. _ ” Niall’s thoughts cut off Shawn’s response, and it’s absolutely agonizing that the simple words could work to stop his brain from being able to make comprehensible sentences. “I’ll walk you home, mate,” Niall says out loud. “You look a bit pale.”

Niall stands up and approaches Shawn. “Yeah, that’d - ” His hand lands on Shawn’s shoulder, and the physical contact, no matter how seemingly innocent, is too much. He can’t do much else than nod and run to the front door. 

He hears Harry’s “Feel better!” as he makes his way down the steps. 

Shawn waits outside as Niall collects their items and says goodbye to everybody. He’s taking his sweet time, but Shawn doesn’t care. He knows Niall’s going home with him, and he knows they won’t leave the bed until at least tomorrow afternoon. The torture of waiting for Niall is absolutely nothing if the payout is making the other man make true on his promises. 

As soon as Niall makes his appearance, walking slow  — casual  — Shawn spits, “You’re  _ unbelievable _ .” 

It doesn’t affect the other man like it should. Cool as ever, he quirks his brow infuriatingly, knowing he’s got Shawn exactly where he wants him. “Was it something I said?”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on:  
> [Twitter](http://twitter.com/sapphicbee) | [Tumblr](http://fourdrunksluts.tumblr.com)
> 
>    
> [5 Weeks of Shiall on Tumblr](http://aceniall.tumblr.com/post/178698138803/5-weeks-of-shiall-by-alienharry-october-3-after)


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